1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a holiday ornament which is attachable to a holiday candle in such a way that it is securely held in place when not in use but easily falls away from the candle after the candle has melted at least half way down.
2. Description of Related Art
The use of ornaments in the context of holiday candles, and the like, is known.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,300,226 entitled xe2x80x9cCandle Holderxe2x80x9d describes an ornamental structure for attachment to a candle for the purpose of splicing two sections of the candle together in axial alignment by means of a clamping type structure.
Likewise, U.S. Pat. No. 2,508,933 describes candle ornaments comprising annular reinforcing/ornamental structures.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,419,527 and 5,601,272 describe ornamental structures which appear to surround and support a candle which, in turn, can be applied to a flat surface by a suction cup.
The following prior art references all appear to describe candles which incorporate various items, decoration and otherwise, as part of their exterior surface: U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,511,104; 1,576,205; 1,709,889; 4,039,937; 4,225,552; 4,304,547; and, 4,696,640.
With regard to U.S. Pat. No. 4,225,552, noted above, the decorative elements each include a stem portion by which they are mounted to the surface of the candle core before being enveloped by an outer shell of wax.
The following prior art references appear to describe pushpin structures typical of the prior art: 100,194; 165,206; 676,273; and 4,040,149.
With regard to U.S. Pat. No. 165,206 cited above, in particular, the structure includes a multi-prong pushpin which supports an ornament on an exposed surface. The opposite surface has a contacting structure with projecting prongs also.
Lastly, U.S. Design Pat. No. 166,802 describes a decorative candle having items apparently pinned thereon.
While the concept of applying ornamentation to almost any surface, including holiday candles, it is generally known, there does not appear to be taught or suggested by the prior art a satisfactory way of securely attaching a holiday ornament to a soft candle, such that it stays in place when the candle is not being used, and such that, when the candle has burned at least half way down, the ornament safely falls away from the candle structure and thereafter can be used in the conventional fashion hanging from a holiday plant or large decoration.
Briefly described, the invention comprises a holiday ornament, such as a Christmas Tree figurine, that is securely attachable to a holiday candle made of a moderately soft wax. The ornament, preferably formed from a metal or tin-like sheet, has a thin metal strip soldered to the back thereof with the opposite ends of the strip turned up away from the plane of the back of the ornament. The two turned up ends of the metal strip form a pair of pins. A flat tip is formed on the first and second pins, respectively, by means of a bevel of approximately 45xc2x0. Each of the two pins is angled at approximately 10-15xc2x0 away from a plane perpendicular to the back of the ornament. This feature, in combination with the width of the pin and the bevel on the tips thereof, provides for a superior attachment to the soft wax of the candle when the candle is shipped or otherwise not being used. When the candle is lit, however, the wax burns down until it gets to a point near the second pin at which point the holiday ornament falls safely away from the candle. Thereafter, the ornament can be hung from a Christmas Tree, Christmas Wreath, fireplace, etc. in the conventional fashion, preferably by means of a small string attached to the top of the ornament.
These and other features of the invention will be more fully understood by reference to the following drawings.